Champion Kimi Antonelli: Tears, arias, a tribute to Senna, and even more tears

Kimi Antonelli is the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion; he is the 36th champion of the premier class since 1950, following the sixth F1 title decider in Mexico, after John Surtees in 1964, Denny Hulme in 1967, Graham Hill in 1968, and Lewis Hamilton in 2017 and 2018.

At the age of 20, Kimi is the youngest Formula 1 champion, having beaten Sebastian Vettel’s record set in Abu Dhabi in 2010 by more than three years.

Antonelli is the third Italian Formula 1 world champion after Giuseppe Farina (1950) and Alberto Ascari (1952/1953). This also makes him the first Italian ‘campione’ in 73 years!

Becoming world champion in his second year of Formula 1 – before Kimi, only Juan Manuel Fangio, Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton had achieved this. Giuseppe Farina became champion in his debut year, when the Formula 1 World Championship was launched in 1950.

Kimi Antonelli, the new champion, speaks at length about his World Championship title and how it makes him feel: “I’m still trying to take it all in and understand what’s just happened. When you’ve been dreaming of achieving this since you were a child, and when you finally do achieve it, it really is something very special.”

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“Of course, all sorts of emotions are welling up. Being able to share and experience this moment with my whole family, my team and some of my friends is a moment I’ll always remember.”

“I’m just absolutely delighted and grateful for what’s just happened, for all the opportunities and the support I’ve received, not just this year, but ever since I joined the team. So, yes, I’ll try to savour it right to the end and then enjoy the rest of the season too, because we’ve still got a few races to go.”

“Being lifted onto the shoulders of Lewis and Max – that was just incredible! I’ll definitely frame this photo and hang it up in my house, because it was simply an incredible moment. To feel so much respect from two incredible drivers, drivers who have made Formula 1 history – that’s truly a moment I’ll always remember. I want to find a spot in my house where I can look at this picture time and time again.”

Nine race wins this season – which one stands out? Kimi: “Hard to say. I’m the sort of person who tends to think – the best is yet to come. But if I had to pick one, I’d say my home race at Monza. Then, of course, my first win, in China. But they were all unique in their own way. I also like to look back on Belgium, because Spa was probably the toughest moment of my career last year, and winning this year on a circuit where I’d hit rock bottom back then was very special for me.”

Antonelli confirms that he will not be taking the world champion’s number 1 in 2027: “I’ll stick with number 12 because it’s a very special number for me, but also because it helps me to stay grounded and humble. I feel that by keeping number 12, I have a fresh starting point to rebuild everything and try to improve. And to be honest, I’m very superstitious, and number 1 has never been a lucky number for me. Whenever I’ve used it, things have gone extremely badly. No, I much prefer number 12.”

In the grandstand area of the Mexican circuit, the Antonelli family were hugging each other: Mum Veronica, Dad Marco, and sister Maggie. Kimi says: “They were very emotional, very happy. My dad was also fighting for the championship with his team today, and unfortunately they lost the championship. I saw how sad he was this morning, and I thought to myself: You know what? I’m going to make it up to him! So, I’m really glad I did, and it definitely gave me some extra motivation to seal the title today.”

What was going through Antonelli’s mind as he crossed the finish line in P3? Kimi: “I’d already lost seconds on the penultimate lap because I was basically in tears. I couldn’t see clearly ahead of me; I could just about make out two Ferraris through my tears.”

“Lots of memories went through my mind at that moment – memories ranging from karting right through to Formula 1. It was a very special final lap, and as I crossed the finish line, I let my emotions run free.”

A very special choice of song when Kimi was standing there alone on the podium as the new ‘Campione’. First of all, Puccini’s aria ‘Nessun Dorma’ from the opera ‘Turandot’, which melts the heart of even the hardest of hearts when a tenor belts out at the end: ‘Vincerò, vincerò!’ I shall triumph.

And then ‘Sarà perché ti amo’ (It must be because I love you). Let’s guess that the songs were chosen by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

Kimi says: “The first song was very moving for me because it was a song my grandfather used to listen to all the time. So it was very stirring to hear it. And I think he is… (Kimi searches for words.) I think he’d be very proud of me. Oh my God, I’ve cried far too much today, but that’s all right. So yes, I got very emotional thinking about my grandfather, and I felt a lot of love for him.”

Kimi has another surprise in store: “Now we’re off to Brazil. I’ll be wearing a special helmet for Brazil, for Ayrton. Partly because it will be 35 years since he won in his home country, even though his gearbox was stuck in sixth gear!”

“It’ll be a tribute helmet for Brazil and for Ayrton, and I think it’s one of the best helmets I’ve ever made. So, hopefully you’ll all like it.”

And when will the big World Championship celebration take place? Kimi says: “We haven’t planned anything; we’ve still got the race in Brazil ahead of us. Then we’ll finally be heading home. That’s when I’ll be going full throttle with the partying. I can already tell you that I won’t be flying to Las Vegas in the best of shape.”